Thursday, 18 July 2013

Conversations and work that makes you think about what constitutes our existence, work that spiritually inspires you and anti-'work' are the three streams I see in the fifth actuation of existence. As Labanna Babalon says 'the time of the 5th dimension is coming' an indescribable sensation, but one which we can ALL experience. The mystical challenge of dimensional portalling is what drives me, the inspired, spontaneous work happens organically, it's all good for the soul.

Live art has relied on the experience of the body and mind that exists in front of you, but for centuries we have been playing with portalling from this existence. In the 21st Century we have emerging artists Alrey Batol's 'Aggregates' and Holly Childs' 'tweet2exist' question the singular reality of our bodies and minds, augmenting our material existence by portraying digital bodies in perceptible and imperceptible realms.

As live art has relied on the body, existence has relied on an inspired belief in a universal, metaphysical truth. Jade Boyd and Labanna Babalon are inspired by their technological mediums. Jade Boyd's 'VHxiSm' and Labanna Babalon's 'House of Muse' channel and project their beliefs in 'other beings' being trapped in our consumer technology. The signal spectres in Jade's VHS and the muse me muse in Labanna's 'tree of knowledge' internet embody the form of their works but their experience is other worldly.

While we make work we protest against it, live art has an extensive history of grass roots provocation against the ruling industry and politics. Eric Rossi in 'I.T.2' exorcises his demons of working in the IT industry while Dhana Merritt in 'Untitled (Marina & Ulay)' and 'Untitled (Gilbert & George)' provokes the art industry as while working at an Institution she could not obtain a loan of these works, so made them herself. Eric and Dhana humorously provoke the industries that employ them, pulling the viewer in to 'see' the effects and layers of the current hegemony.

Thinking, inspiring and provoking - the works in exist-ence 5 are for the viewer and for the soul.
-Nicola Morton